Using pulsed photoionization the coherent spin manipulation and echo formation of ensembles of NV- centers in diamond are detected electrically realizing contrasts of up to 17 %. The underlying spin-dependent ionization dynamics are investigated experimentally and compared to Monte-Carlo simulations. This allows the identification of the conditions optimizing contrast and sensitivity which compare favorably with respect to optical detection.
The diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is a leading platform for quantum information science due to its optical addressability and room-temperature spin coherence. However, measurements of the NV center's spin state typically require averaging over many cycles to overcome noise. Here, we review several approaches to improve the readout performance and highlight future avenues of research that could enable single-shot electron-spin readout at room temperature.
Efficient readout of individual electronic spins associated with atom-like impurities in the solid state is essential for applications in quantum information processing and quantum metrology. We demonstrate a new method for efficient spin readout of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The method is based on conversion of the electronic spin state of the NV to a charge state distribution, followed by single-shot readout of the charge state. Conversion is achieved through a spin-dependent photoionization process in diamond at room temperature. Using NVs in nanofabricated diamond beams, we …
Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond have emerged as promising quantum solid-state systems, with applications ranging from quantum information processing to magnetic sensing. One of the most useful properties of NVs is the ability to read their ground-state spin projection optically at room temperature. This work provides a theoretical analysis of Purcell enhanced NV optical coupling, through which we find optimal parameters for maximal Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the optical spin-state readout. We conclude that a combined increase in spontaneous emission (through Purcell enhancem…
We use the electronic spin of a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond to observe the real-time evolution of neighboring single nuclear spins under ambient conditions. Using a diamond sample with a natural abundance of $^{13}$C isotopes, we first demonstrate high fidelity initialization and single-shot readout of an individual $^{13}$C nuclear spin. By including the intrinsic $^{14}$N nuclear spin of the NV defect in the quantum register, we then report the simultaneous observation of quantum jumps linked to both nuclear spin species, providing an efficient initialization of the two qu…
Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been used in recent years for a wide range of applications, from nano-scale NMR to quantum computation. These applications depend strongly on the efficient readout of the NV center's spin state, which is currently limited. Here we suggest a method of reading the NV center's spin state, using the weak optical transition in the singlet manifold. We numerically calculate the number of photons collected from each spin state using this technique, and show that an order of magnitude enhancement in spin readout signal-to-noise ratio is expected, making si…
We utilize nonlinear absorption to design all-optical protocols that improve both charge state initialization and spin readout for the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Non-monotonic variations in the equilibrium charge state as a function of visible and near-infrared (NIR) optical power are attributed to competing multiphoton absorption processes. In certain regimes, multicolor illumination enhances the steady-state population of the NV's negative charge state above 90%. At higher NIR intensities, selective ionization of the singlet manifold facilitates a protocol for spin-to-charge co…
We demonstrate optical readout of ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy(NV) center spins in a bulk diamond sample via spin-to-charge conversion. A high power 594 nm laser is utilized to selectively ionize these paramagnetic defects in the spin state with a contrast of up to 12%. In comparison with the conventional 520 nm spin readout, spin-to-charge-conversion-based readout provides higher signal-to-noise ratio, with tenfold sensing measurement speedup for millisecond long pulse sequences. This level of performance was achieved for an NV- ionization of only 25%, limited by the ionization and readout l…
We study the coupling of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond to a nearby single nitrogen defect at room temperature. The magnetic dipolar coupling leads to a splitting in the electron spin resonance frequency of the nitrogen-vacancy center, allowing readout of the state of a single nitrogen electron spin. At magnetic fields where the spin splitting of the two centers is the same we observe a strong polarization of the nitrogen electron spin. The amount of polarization can be controlled by the optical excitation power. We combine the polarization and the readout in time-resolved pump-pr…
Hyperfine spectroscopy and fast, all-optical arbitrary state initialization and readout of a single, ten-level ${}^{73}$Ge vacancy nuclear spin qudit in diamond
We demonstrate electrical detection of the $^{14}$N nuclear spin coherence of NV centers at room temperature. Nuclear spins are candidates for quantum memories in quantum-information devices and quantum sensors, and hence the electrical detection of nuclear spin coherence is essential to develop and integrate such quantum devices. In the present study, we used a pulsed electrically detected electron-nuclear double resonance technique to measure the Rabi oscillations and coherence time ($T_2$) of $^{14}$N nuclear spins in NV centers at room temperature. We observed $T_2 \approx$ 0.9 ms at room …
We demonstrate electrical control of the single photon emission spectrum from chromium-based colour centres implanted in monolithic diamond. Under an external electric field the tunability range is typically three orders of magnitude larger than the radiative linewidth and at least one order of magnitude larger than the observed linewidth. The electric and magnetic field dependence of luminescence gives indications on the inherent symmetry and we propose Cr-X or X-Cr-Y type noncentrosymmetric atomic configurations as most probable candidates for these centres.
Color centers in diamond are promising candidates for quantum nanosensing applications. The efficient collection of the optical signal is the key to achieving high sensitivity and resolution, but it is limited by the collection optics. Embedding the color centers in diamond microstructures can help to enhance the collection efficiency, but often require challenging fabrication and integration. Here we investigate the photoluminescence (PL) of silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers in commercially available atomic force microscope (AFM) diamond pyramid (DP) tips. We find that the DP geometry efficiently…
The ST1 center is a point defect in diamond with bright fluorescence and a mechanism for optical spin initialization and readout. The center has impressive potential for applications in diamond quantum computing as a quantum bus to a register of nuclear spins. This is because it has an exceptionally high readout contrast and, unlike the well-known nitrogen-vacancy center, it does not have a ground state electronic spin that decoheres the nuclear spins. However, its chemical structure is unknown and there are large gaps in our understanding of its properties. We present the discovery of ST1 cen…
Nuclear spins in semiconductors are leading candidates for quantum technologies, including quantum computation, communication, and sensing. Nuclear spins in diamond are particularly attractive due to their extremely long coherence lifetime. With the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre, such nuclear qubits benefit from an auxiliary electronic qubit, which has enabled entanglement mediated by photonic links. The transport of quantum information by the electron itself, via controlled transfer to an adjacent centre or via the dipolar interaction, would enable even faster and smaller processors, but optic…
The protocols for the control and readout of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centres electron spins in diamond offer an advanced platform for quantum computation, metrology and sensing. These protocols are based on the optical readout of photons emitted from NV centres, which process is limited by the yield of photons collection. Here we report on a novel principle for the detection of NV centres magnetic resonance in diamond by directly monitoring spin-preserving electron transitions through measurement of NV centre related photocurrent. The demonstrated direct detection technique offers a sensitive wa…
The electrical conductivity of a material can feature subtle, nontrivial, and spatially-varying signatures with critical insight into the material's underlying physics. Here we demonstrate a conductivity imaging technique based on the atom-sized nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond that offers local, quantitative, and noninvasive conductivity imaging with nanoscale spatial resolution. We monitor the spin relaxation rate of a single NV center in a scanning probe geometry to quantitatively image the magnetic fluctuations produced by thermal electron motion in nanopatterned metallic conductors…
Quantum technology relies on proper hardware, enabling coherent quantum state control as well as efficient quantum state readout. In this regard, wide-bandgap semiconductors are an emerging material platform with scalable wafer fabrication methods, hosting several promising spin-active point defects. Conventional readout protocols for such defect spins rely on fluorescence detection and are limited by a low photon collection efficiency. Here, we demonstrate a photo-electrical detection technique for electron spins of silicon vacancy ensembles in the 4H polytype of silicon carbide (SiC). Furthe…
The detection of electron spins associated with single defects in solids is a critical operation for a range of quantum information and measurement applications currently under development. To date, it has only been accomplished for two centres in crystalline solids: phosphorus in silicon using electrical readout based on a single electron transistor (SET) and nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond using optical readout. A spin readout fidelity of about 90% has been demonstrated with both electrical readout and optical readout, however, the thermal limitations of the electrical readout and the po…
Quantum state readout is a key component of quantum technologies, including applications in sensing, computation, and secure communication. Readout fidelity can be enhanced by repeating readouts. However, the number of repeated readouts is limited by measurement backaction, which changes the quantum state that is measured. This detrimental effect can be overcome by storing the quantum state in an ancilla qubit, chosen to be robust against measurement backaction and to allow error correction. Here, we protect the electronic-spin state of a diamond nitrogen-vacancy center from measurement backac…
A physically unclonable function (PUF) is an embedded hardware security measure that provides protection against counterfeiting. Here we present our work on using an array of randomly-magnetized micron-sized ferromagnetic bars (micromagnets) as a PUF. We employ a 4 $μ$m thick surface layer of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to image the magnetic fields from each micromagnet in the array, after which we extract the magnetic polarity of each micromagnet using image analysis techniques. After evaluating the randomness of the micromagnet array PUF and the sensitivity of the NV readout, we…
Efficient optical readout of a single, solid-state electronic spin at room temperature is a key challenge for nanoscale quantum sensing. Here we apply the technique of spin-to-charge conversion to enhance the optical spin-state readout of a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color center in room temperature diamond, with no degradation in the NV spin coherence time. We demonstrate an order-of-magnitude improvement in spin readout noise per shot and about a factor of five improvement in AC magnetometry sensitivity, compared to the conventional NV spin-state optical readout method. This improvement is…
The recently demonstrated electroluminescence of color centers in diamond makes them one of the best candidates for room temperature single-photon sources. However, the reported emission rates are far off what can be achieved by state-of-the-art electrically driven epitaxial quantum dots. Since the electroluminescence mechanism has not yet been elucidated, it is not clear to what extent the emission rate can be increased. Here we develop a theoretical framework to study single-photon emission from color centers in diamond under electrical pumping. The proposed model comprises electron and hole…
Hybrid photoelectric detection of NV magnetic resonances (PDMR) is anticipated to lead to scalable quantum chip technology. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to prove that PDMR readout is compatible with the coherent spin control. Here we present PDMR MW pulse protocols that filter background currents related to ionization of NS0 defects and achieve a high contrast and S/N ratio. We demonstrate Rabi and Ramsey protocols on shallow nitrogen-implanted electronic grade diamond and the coherent readout of ~ 5 NV spins, as a first step towards the fabrication of scalable photoelectric quantum dev…
We have fabricated and tested mechanical resonators consisting of a single-atomic-layer of graphene deposited on suspended silicon nitride membranes. With the addition of the graphene layer we retain the desirable mechanical properties of silicon nitride but utilize the electrical and optical properties of graphene to transduce resonant motion by both optical and electrical means. By positioning the graphene-on-silicon-nitride drums in a tunable optical cavity we observe position dependent damping and resonant frequency control of the devices due to optical absorption by graphene.
An obstacle for spin-based quantum sensors is magnetic noise due to proximal spins. However, such a spin cluster surrounding the sensor can become an asset, if it can be controlled. Here, we polarize and readout a cluster of three nitrogen (N) electron spins coupled to a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) spin in diamond. We further achieve sub-nm localization of the cluster spins. Finally, we demonstrate coherent spin exchange between the species by simultaneous dressing of the NV and the N states. These results establish the feasibility of environment-assisted sensing and quantum simulations with …
Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are atom-scale defects with long spin coherence times that can be used to sense magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Typically, the magnetic field projection at a single point is measured by averaging many sequential measurements with a single NV center, or the magnetic field distribution is reconstructed by taking a spatial average over an ensemble of many NV centers. In averaging over many single-NV center experiments, both techniques discard information. Here we propose and implement a new sensing modality, whereby two or mor…
Micrometer width and nanometer thick wires with different shapes were produced $\approx 3~\upmu$m below the surface of a diamond crystal using a microbeam of He$^+$ ions with 1.8~MeV energy. Initial samples are amorphous and after annealing at $T\approx 1475$~K, the wires crystallized into a graphite-like structures, according to confocal Raman spectroscopy measurements. The electrical resistivity at room temperature is only one order of magnitude larger than the in-plane resistivity of highly oriented pyrolytic bulk graphite and shows a small resistivity ratio($ρ(2{\rm K})/ρ(315{\rm K}) \appr…
Chirality and topology are intimately related fundamental concepts, which are heavily explored to establish spin-textures as potential magnetic bits in information technology. However, this ambition is inhibited since electrical reading of chiral attributes is highly non-trivial with conventional current perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) sensing devices. Here we demonstrate from extensive first-principles simulations and multiple scattering expansion the emergence of the chiral spin-mixing magnetoresistance (C-XMR) enabling highly efficient all-electrical readout of the chirality and helicity of re…
We present a simple micromanipulation technique to transfer suspended graphene flakes onto any substrate and to assemble them with small localized gates into mechanical resonators. The mechanical motion of the graphene is detected using an electrical, radio-frequency (RF) reflection readout scheme where the time-varying graphene capacitor reflects a RF carrier at f=5-6 GHz producing modulation sidebands at f +/- fm. A mechanical resonance frequency up to fm=178 MHz is demonstrated. We find both hardening/softening Duffing effects on different samples, and obtain a critical amplitude of ~40 pm …
Resonance fluorescence from a quantum emitter is an ideal source to extract indistinguishable photons. By using the cross polarization to suppress the laser scattering, we observed resonance fluorescence from GeV color centers in diamond at cryogenic temperature. The Fourier-transform-limited linewidth emission with $T_2/2T_1\sim0.86$ allows for two-photon interference based on single GeV color center. Under pulsed excitation, the 24 ns separated photons exhibit a Hong-Ou-Mandel visibility of $0.604\pm0.022$, while the continuous-wave excitation leads to a coalescence time window of 1.05 radia…
A single nuclear spin holds the promise of being a long-lived quantum bit or quantum memory, with the high fidelities required for fault-tolerant quantum computing. We show here that such promise could be fulfilled by a single phosphorus (31P) nuclear spin in a silicon nanostructure. By integrating single-shot readout of the electron spin with on-chip electron spin resonance, we demonstrate the quantum non-demolition, electrical single-shot readout of the nuclear spin, with readout fidelity better than 99.8% - the highest for any solid-state qubit. The single nuclear spin is then operated as a…
Nitrogen vacancy (NV-) color centers in diamond are a prime candidate for use in quantum information devices, owing to their spin-1 ground state, straightforward optical initialization and readout, and long intrinsic coherence times in a room-temperature solid. While the 13C nuclear spin is often a dominant source of magnetic noise, we observe transitions between electron-nuclear hyperfine states of NV- centers in 99% 13C diamond that are robust to decoherence. At magnetic field strengths ranging from 550 - 900 G, these transitions are observable by optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR)…
Coherent control and optical readout of the electron spin of the $^{29}$SiV$^{-}$ center in diamond has been demonstrated in literature, with exciting prospects for implementations as memory nodes and spin qubits. Nuclear spins may be even better suited for many applications in quantum information processing due to their long coherence times. Control of the $^{29}$SiV$^{-}$ nuclear spin using conventional NMR techniques is feasible, albeit at slow kilohertz rates due to the nuclear spin's low gyromagnetic ratio. In this work we theoretically demonstrate how indirect control using the electron …
The neutral charge state plays an important role in quantum information and sensing applications based on nitrogen-vacancy centers. However, the orbital and spin dynamics remain unexplored. Here, we use resonant excitation of single centers to directly reveal the fine structure, enabling selective addressing of spin-orbit states. Through pump-probe experiments, we find the orbital relaxation time (430ns at 4.7K) and measure its temperature-dependence up to 11.8K. Finally we reveal the spin relaxation time (1.5s), and realize projective high-fidelity single-shot readout of the spin state ($\geq…
Solid-state magnetometers like the Nitrogen-Vacancy center in diamond have been of paramount importance for the development of quantum sensing with nanoscale spatial resolution. The basic protocol is a Ramsey sequence, that imprints an external static magnetic field into phase of the quantum sensor, which is subsequently readout. In this work we show that the hyperfine coupling between the Nitrogen-Vacancy and a nearby Carbon-13 can be used to set a post-selection protocol that leads to an enhancement of the sensitivity under realistic experimental conditions. We found that for an isotopically…
Group-IV color centers in diamond have attracted significant attention as solid-state spin qubits because of their excellent optical and spin properties. Among these color centers, the tin-vacancy (SnV$^{\,\textrm{-}}$) center is of particular interest because its large ground-state splitting enables long spin coherence times at temperatures above 1$\,$K. However, color centers typically suffer from inhomogeneous broadening, which can be exacerbated by nanofabrication-induced strain, hindering the implementation of quantum nodes emitting indistinguishable photons. Although strain and Raman tun…
The enormous stiffness and low density of graphene make it an ideal material for nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) applications. We demonstrate fabrication and electrical readout of monolayer graphene resonators, and test their response to changes in mass and temperature. The devices show resonances in the MHz range. The strong dependence of the resonant frequency on applied gate voltage can be fit to a membrane model, which yields the mass density and built-in strain. Upon removal and addition of mass, we observe changes in both the density and the strain, indicating that adsorbates impart tension…
Diamond quantum thermometry exploits the optical and electrical spin properties of colour defect centres in diamonds and, acts as a quantum sensing method exhibiting ultrahigh precision and robustness. Compared to the existing luminescent nanothermometry techniques, a diamond quantum thermometer can be operated over a wide temperature range and a sensor spatial scale ranging from nanometres to micrometres. Further, diamond quantum thermometry is employed in several application, including electronics and biology, to explore these fields with nanoscale temperature measurements. This review cover…
The control of the charge state of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is of primary importance for the stabilization of their quantum-optical properties, in applications ranging from quantum sensing to quantum computing. To this purpose, in this work current-injecting micro-electrodes were fabricated in bulk diamond for NV charge state control. Buried (i.e. 3 μm in depth) graphitic micro-electrodes with spacing of 9 μm were created in single-crystal diamond substrates by means of a 6 MeV C scanning micro-beam. The high breakdown field of diamond was exploited to electrically control the …
Coherent population trapping at zero magnetic field was observed for nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond under optical excitation. This was measured as a reduction in photoluminescence when the detuning between two excitation lasers matched the 2.88 GHz crystal-field splitting of the color center ground states. This behavior is highly sensitive to strain, which modifies the excited states, and was unexpected following recent experiments demonstrating optical readout of single nitrogen-vacancy electron spins based on cycling transitions. These results demonstrate for the first time that three-l…
We demonstrate stable and reversible current induced switching of large-area ($> 100\;μm^2$) antiferromagnetic domains in NiO/Pt by performing concurrent transport and magneto-optical imaging measurements in an adapted Kerr microscope. By correlating the magnetic images of the antiferromagnetic domain changes and magneto-transport signal response in these current-induced switching experiments, we disentangle magnetic and non-magnetic contributions to the transport signal. Our table-top approach establishes a robust procedure to subtract the non-magnetic contributions in the transport signal an…
Electrical detection of spins is an essential tool in understanding the dynamics of spins in semiconductor devices, providing valuable insights for applications ranging from optoelectronics and spintronics to quantum information processing. For electron spins bound to shallow donors in silicon, bulk electrically-detected magnetic resonance has relied on coupling to spin readout partners such as paramagnetic defects or conduction electrons which fundamentally limits spin coherence times. Here we demonstrate electrical detection of phosphorus donor electron spin resonance by transport through a …
Optically detected nuclear magnetic resonance of carbon-13 in bulk diamond
Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico（新墨西哥大学高等技术材料中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico（新墨西哥大学物理与天文学系）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College（达特茅斯学院物理与天文学系）；DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory（美国陆军研究与发展司令部陆军研究实验室）
Solid-state spin systems including nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond constitute an increasingly favored quantum sensing platform. However, present NV ensemble devices exhibit sensitivities orders of magnitude away from theoretical limits. The sensitivity shortfall both handicaps existing implementations and curtails the envisioned application space. This review analyzes present and proposed approaches to enhance the sensitivity of broadband ensemble-NV-diamond magnetometers. Improvements to the spin dephasing time, the readout fidelity, and the host diamond material properties are ident…
We report electrical tuning by the Stark effect of the excited-state structure of single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers located less than ~100 nm from the diamond surface. The zero-phonon line (ZPL) emission frequency is controllably varied over a range of 300 GHz. Using high-resolution emission spectroscopy, we observe electrical tuning of the strengths of both cycling and spin-altering transitions. Under resonant excitation, we apply dynamic feedback to stabilize the ZPL frequency. The transition is locked over several minutes and drifts of the peak position on timescales greater than ~100 ms…
